Just Her Luck
by Reona
Summary: A young woman troubled with bad luck travels to Camelot looking for work and a new start in life. She ends up becoming part of the legend. The myth was never like this.
1. Journey to Camelot

**Journey to Camelot**

The villagers didn't throw Elaine out after her grandmother died, per se, but they weren't exactly subtle with their opinion that she should leave either. They were willing to allow Elaine to stay with her grandmother while the woman was alive and tending to the cuts and bruises daily life imparted upon a person but they were less thrilled with the young woman staying by herself. Elaine wasn't viewed in a very gracious light by the villagers and she knew how unpredictable their attitudes could be. Their opinion of the young woman often ranged from indifference, when she was ignored, to outright anger, when Elaine often had to make herself scarce. So, Elaine packed up a small pull-cart with her possessions and supplies for travel and left the place she'd lived her whole life.

They did see her off, those village people that she had helped tend through sickness and health alongside her grandmother for years. They wished her well and gave her a few coins and some fresh bread from the ovens and an extra heavy blanket from the tavern that sometimes rented rooms, although it was early spring and fine weather. Their mood was good, coupled with sympathy for the death of her only relative and the promise of being rid of her. Elaine supposed they felt a little bad for sending her off, just not bad enough to risk her staying. They couldn't quite shake the old superstitions of years long gone. So they suggested Elaine travel to Camelot and waved goodbye as she disappeared down the road, no hugs and no handshakes of farewell. They didn't want to risk touching her.

Elaine wasn't bitter about being sent away. Maybe a bit disappointed that the work alongside her grandmother hadn't earned her a place in the village after twenty years. But it could have been worse. Elaine was very aware that it could have been a great deal worse. She'd been treated well, all things considered. It had been the only life she'd ever known. Dusk was falling at the end of the first day of travel and Elaine yanked her little pull-cart from the road and into the trees. A fire was not necessary, especially with the heavy blanket she'd been given, and would only draw unwanted attention. So, Elaine ate a little of the bread and a strip of dried meat while the light faded around her and then forced herself to sleep.

Camelot was always in need of workers, the villagers had told Elaine. The young woman would find a position as a kitchen servant or, if she had any good luck at all (doubtful), helping some healer with their work. It wouldn't be that different from when Elaine lived with her grandmother. It would just be a different location she was doing it in. Camelot, with the tall towers of the castle rising over the outer walls, was a chaotic place Elaine realized. The city had spilled over the original surrounding walls and new dwellings had popped up on what had been green space between the city wall and the thick forest around it. The young woman had joined the flow of people moving along the road, which just by themselves were more people than Elaine had ever seen in one place her whole life. Elaine kept her eyes down and resolutely moved toward the city with everyone else, telling herself that she'd just have to get used to it. There were several guards stationed at the gates into the city and a young man, a scraggily fuzz on his chin, asked Elaine what business she had inside the city.

"I'm looking for work," answered Elaine, pulling her little cart that held her whole life closer to allow a horse drawn wagon past. "Any type will do," the young woman added, feeling the need to specify how useful she could be.

"You and everybody else," muttered the guard with a sigh.

"Oh." Elaine felt her spirits drop. Of course everyone would be drawn to the prosperous Camelot. The young woman glanced back up the road, clogged with people, and thought perhaps she should travel back to the smaller towns and villages she'd passed by and see if they needed another pair of hands. "Thank you very much," Elaine told the guard, forcing her little cart to turn awkwardly back toward the road.

"Hey, wait!" Elaine looked up, trying to keep her footing so she and her cart didn't slide into the ditch. "I didn't mean you had to…" The guard huffed, some irritation creeping into his voice. "Head up to the castle and around to the eastern doors. You'll find the kitchen there and you can ask if they need any help."

Elaine smiled and yanked her cart back around, some people around her muttering in annoyance at her clumsiness. "Thank you!" she said brightly, passing under the gate as the guard waved her on with a slight grimacing frown. The streets inside the city were even more crowded. Stalls of food, cloth, and pottery huddled along the walls of the buildings and squatted in the muddy square. Elaine ignored the cries of the vendors and tried to slip between the press of people. It was awkward as she tried to avoid people but they bumped into her and the little pull-cart all the same. She wasn't used to it and felt splinters prick her palms from the cart handle as her grip tightened with anxiety. The noise was deafening to the young woman. Elaine winced and ducked her head as some annoyed men glared at her for being in their way and stifled a slight yelp as someone trod on her foot. The walk to the castle was slow and Elaine was red faced as she struggled to make her way to the castle, which rose above the city like a beacon. She knew she'd have to find someplace to store her cart before somebody managed to fall over it or it overturned. Was Camelot always this busy and crowded or had Elaine just had her usual luck and come on a day when the city was in rare form?

The young woman did manage to make it to the castle eventually, feet sore and just as irritated by the crowd as everyone else. The gatehouse was manned by another four guards in red uniform but they paid Elaine no attention. She could see the large inner courtyard through the narrow passageway, the castle rising up around it, but turned to the side. Elaine went around the castle as the guard had instructed and found the wide low doors that led to the kitchen, in front of which was a small dirt ward. The area was teaming with people, all rushing about the little yard with purpose. "Excuse me, can…" Elaine said quickly to a young boy carrying a stack of wood. He didn't even glance at her as he rushed by and disappeared into the kitchen. Elaine tried three more times to catch someone's attention but they seemed too busy to even notice her. The young woman cursed softly under her breath and wondered if she was wasting her time.

Elaine pushed her cart into a corner of the yard, behind the wood pile, and covered it with her blanket. After that she steeled her nerves and plunged into the dim kitchen and the rushing flow of people. The huge ovens were lit and heat rolled across the kitchen roof. Elaine panted and almost stumbled over a dog lurking around the table where two men were carving meat. Flour floated in the air like fine snow and Elaine sneezed, earning several glares from the women kneading dough at another long table. The young woman tried again to get someone's attention until a frazzled looking woman with an apron splattered with grease shoved a tray of drinks into her hands and ordered her to hand them out to the people upstairs. Elaine followed a line of other young women walking up the stairs with trays similar to hers, wondering if this meant she was hired.

Upstairs, where the floors were white stone and polished to a smooth surface, Elaine found out why Camelot was so chaotic. They were hosting visitors, and noble visitors at that. The wide hall in front of the throne room was crowded with people and Elaine was careful not to spill the tray as she handed drinks out to finely dressed lords and ladies that mostly ignored her. Being ignored suited the young woman just fine at that moment. Elaine copied the other girls and made sure she didn't look anybody in the eyes. The young woman made three trips up and down the stairs from the kitchen with empty glasses and refills before one of the nobles barked at her to pick up a small casket by his feet. Elaine reluctantly did as ordered, lifting the heavy casket and following the line of less finely dressed men and woman, servants obviously, trooping after the family of nobles into the throne room.

The throne room was just as crowded and the person behind Elaine hissed at her and kicked her heels as the young woman faltered. The edge of the room was ringed with people, other court members dressed up in their velvet and silk clothing, standing under the tall windows like gems. Elaine hurried forward and stopped with everyone else, setting her casket on the floor as the nobleman who'd barked at her before stepped forward and greeted the people sitting at the front of the large room. The end of the room, under the flags and banners hanging from the ceiling, sat a throne with two lesser chairs on either side. Elaine stared as she caught sight of the man sitting in the center throne.

She had seen King Arthur before, a few years ago when the royal party had ridden through her village. But his face had been obscured by a helmet then and he'd been dressed in heavy chainmail atop his huge horse. Now the warrior king was wearing a tooled leather jerkin, a golden crown adorning his blond head. This was the man who had brought peace to all of Albion. The king was looking with calm blue eyes at the nobleman speaking before the throne, gesturing back to the chests and caskets that had been carried in behind him. A woman sat in the lesser chair immediately to his left, a smaller chair set on the platform below the king's, with dark hair and green eyes dressed in a splendid gown of purple velvet. The second chair was currently empty.

"Is there a problem?" King Arthur's voice cut across the room and Elaine glanced back at him to realize he was staring at her. The young woman started and looked around to find she had been left behind by the noble family and their servants, standing there like a dunce in the throne room while they walked out. Elaine turned bright red and then all the color drained from her face. "Are you okay?" asked the king.

Elaine bowed, her brown hair swinging down in front of her face. She spat out a strand so she could speak. "I'm sorry, your majesty. Forgive me!" Elaine squeaked. It would not be a good beginning to Elaine's stay in Camelot if she spent her first night there in the stocks or the dungeon or wherever irritated kings sent people that annoyed them.

"Your family is leaving without you," stated the lady sitting beside the king.

Elaine glanced up in surprise. "Oh, I'm not with them, my lady. I came here to…" She was babbling, a panicked reaction to having so many eyes on her. Both the dark haired lady and the king were staring at her and people around the throne room were beginning to mutter amongst themselves. Beheaded: they were going to behead her at this rate. Elaine dropped her face again and started to walk backwards. "I'm terribly sorry." She yelped as she tripped over the casket that had been left behind her and titters of laughter filled the room. One of King's Arthur's eyebrows rose and Elaine fled the throne room with her head down, fearing a call for the guards echoing at her back.

The young woman made it out into the hall without being attacked by any guards and dragged off, although the hall was also filled with snickering people. Well, that was better than any alternative she could think of. Elaine kept her gaze firmly down and tried to hurry out of the hall back to the kitchen. Of course, this meant she collided hard with another person. There were two yelps as Elaine fell to the floor, quickly scrambling up onto her knees in the next second. She automatically lunged for some items falling past her face, catching something made of glass and a book. Elaine was skilled at catching falling items; it happened around her a lot. Some rolled up scrolls bounced on the floor. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going! Please forgive me!"

The man she had bumped into had also fallen to the floor and Elaine went white when she got a good look at him. A noble, in a blue tunic edged with silver. Of course it was a noble; Elaine didn't have the luck to have walked into another servant or someone who wouldn't order her tossed out of Camelot. The man blinked blue eyes at Elaine, black hair mused, and she closed her eyes tightly and braced herself. The young woman had seen King Arthur riding through her village years ago and with him had been the Great Sorcerer of Camelot. She remembered the bright blue eyes of the man as he rode past her and his sharp, almost fey, features. He hadn't been wearing a helmet like the knights he rode with and Elaine recognized the sorcerer Merlin easily. He was sitting on the floor in front of her.

Elaine wondered what it would be like to be a frog. Or would the sorcerer turn her into a fly or a flea? She didn't want to be a bug. Bugs got swatted and squished. What did powerful sorcerers turn people that angered them into these days? The young woman hoped the sorcerer turned her into a frog. Would she remember being a human when she was a frog or could a frog only understand frog things? Did bugs taste good? Elaine hoped so.

There was a great deal of laughter and talking going on in the hall and Elaine peeked one eye open, feeling very unfrog-like. Merlin blinked back at her. "Impressive, Merlin," drawled the king's voice from behind her. Elaine closed her eye again. Maybe they'd just plain kill her now. It might be better than being turned into a frog.

"It's not my fault," snapped Merlin. Elaine heard cloth rustle and when the sorcerer next spoke it was from above her head. "It's too crowded in the hallway, Arthur."

"It's a busy day," retorted the king. "A lot of people about."

Elaine heard cloth move next to her and felt the misplaced air of someone nearby. She peeked open an eye again. "Are you alright?" asked the dark haired woman from the throne room, bent down to speak to Elaine's bowed face.

The young woman very carefully set the glass thing she'd caught, an inkwell she saw, and the book down on the floor in front of Merlin. She then shifted back and folded herself in half, resting her forehead on the floor. "I'm very sorry, my lord," Elaine croaked out, throat dry. "It was my fault for running into you. I humbly apologize. Please, forgive me, my lord." The crowds in the hall laughed a little louder and Elaine hunched in on herself some more. Humiliation ran hot and cold all over the young woman's skin. They were all looking at her and that made Elaine's stomach flip. Nothing good ever happened when people looked at her.

"Be silent!" roared King Arthur, making everyone jump. The people in the hall fell silent as commanded, a nervous energy filling the air. Elaine pressed her forehead harder into the floor and wished it would open up and swallow her whole. She just wanted to go home but knew there was no home to go back to. Her nose began to hurt where it was smashed against the stone.

Someone gently touched her shoulder. "It's alright. You haven't done anything wrong," said the sorcerer's calm voice. "Come on, get up." Hands tugged at her and Elaine stood as ordered, keeping her head bowed. From the corner of her eye, she saw Merlin pull away his hand and rub his fingers together, as if something was stuck to them. "Morgana?" the sorcerer muttered.

The dark haired woman also reached over and pressed a hand against Elaine's arm, a grimace on her face as she rubbed at her fingers too. Elaine glanced at her clothing. It wasn't that dirty in her opinion. "I'm sorry. I've been traveling and haven't had time to wash up. I just arrived today. Forgive me." Morgana, Merlin had called her. This meant that the dark haired woman was the Fae Queen from the Isle of the Blessed, allied with Camelot. Elaine felt shamed just standing there in her plain clothing.

"No, that's not what we're talking about," said Merlin. There was some odd mix of sympathy and pity in the sorcerer's voice, making Elaine glance up through her hair at him.

"What's going on?" asked King Arthur. Elaine could see his boots come up around her side and stop next to the sorcerer. "You find something?" The people in the hall had regained their courage and where muttering among themselves again, shifting about like bored children.

"There is some sort of aura or mark around this young woman," answered Morgana. Elaine closed her eyes and clutched at her skirt with white fingers at the dark haired woman's words. Her stomach flipped in the other direction and Elaine swallowed back bile in her throat.

"She's been bespelled?" asked Arthur tightly. There was some more shifting from the people in the hall, moving away from the little group. They obviously didn't like that pronouncement.

"Not bespelled," replied Merlin. "I don't think anyone did this to her. It's almost as if this slick film has attached itself to her." He sounded very confused for the most powerful sorcerer in Albion.

Elaine thought she must be something really _special_ if she confused Merlin. "It's okay," she said. The young woman lifted her head to look at them properly. The king was looking at her warily while Merlin and Morgana were merely puzzled. She dredged up a smile. "It's just my bad luck." There was some more general muttering from the people in the hall and Elaine saw several servants and workers make the sign against evil. Somewhere in the crowd Elaine heard someone spit. It was a familiar sound.

"Your bad luck," echoed Arthur doubtfully. The king's two dark haired companions glanced at each other.

"Yes. My bad luck. It's okay, to my knowledge it doesn't spread to other people." Elaine kept her smile fixed on her face. "I'm sorry, my lords, it was foolish of me to come here. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. Forgive me. I'll be leaving now." The young woman bowed to the three in front of her. "Your majesty, my lord, my lady." Then Elaine turned stiffly and walked back down the hall. The crowd parted for her and she disappeared down the stairs to the kitchen.

_End Notes: I started writing this long before we saw a character named Elaine in the TV show. Elaine is an original female character of mine and I hope one that you'll all like. In the legends, Elaine's tale was a sorrowful one and I do use her story as the basis for this fanfiction. This is a story of growth and how Merlin's kindness allows one young girl to build a life for herself. There will be slight Arthur/Merlin in this story, but nothing in your face. Please enjoy!_


	2. Paved With Good Intentions

Paved With Good Intentions

"Bad luck?" Arthur snorted and turned to Merlin. "There is no such thing as bad luck. What nonsense."

"I don't know, Arthur," replied Merlin, reaching down for the inkwell and the book he dropped when the young woman had rammed into him. "People are often thought to have good luck or bad luck."

"Yes, but that girl is covered in nothing but bad luck," said Morgana with a frown. "It's like it is part of her skin."

"You have got to be kidding me," retorted the king.

"I've heard of people with bad luck before," said a knight in Camelot red that was standing near enough to have heard. "Whether it's true or not, people that are said to have bad luck are outcasts of society." Kay shrugged at his king's baffled look. "It's true, my lord. They often go live alone in the woods somewhere." There were some more mutterings from the crowd and Arthur glared around at them.

"That poor girl," said Morgana. "I've never seen her before. She must have come here to find some work."

"Nobody will hire her now," replied Kay.

"That's just stupid," exclaimed Arthur.

"Yes, it is," agreed Merlin. He shoved the inkwell and book at a familiar servant. "Bordon, take my things back up to my room. I have something I need to take care of." Then the dark haired sorcerer took off down the hall.

"Hey, what are you doing?" cried Arthur. Merlin disappeared down the stairs without answering. "Idiot," sighed the king.

Word traveled quickly, especially in a castle. By the time Elaine reached the kitchen, everybody knew about her. The kitchen was quiet and everyone was staring at the young woman as she came down the stairs. Her skin crawled and she warily watched everyone in case they choose to throw something or try to spit on her. "Sorry," Elaine said to the room at large. Now, all she could do was apologize and leave. She cautiously crossed the kitchen, people edging away from her, and walked out into the little yard. Elaine went around to the woodpile for her pull-cart but it was gone. She paused a moment, staring down at where it had been, before walking back into the yard. The kitchen workers were gathered in the doorway, as if making sure the young woman with the bad luck really left. "Please, where is the pull-cart that was behind the woodpile?" asked Elaine. Nobody answered and Elaine felt tears prick her eyes. "Please, those are all the possessions I have in the world. Where did they go?" Silence.

Then a young boy broke from the group and raced around the corner. He came back pulling the little cart behind him. The blanket was gone but it looked like everything else was still there. The boy dropped the cart and raced back to the group huddled in the doorway. Elaine retrieved her pull-cart and bowed to the group watching her. "Thank you." Then she left, making her way back around the castle and out into the city.

Elaine sniffed and blinked back her tears as she made her way back toward the gate of Camelot. There was probably two hours left until nightfall. Not enough time to make it back to the last town but hopefully enough to get a good campsite going and fetch some water. There were less people in the street this late in the day and Elaine made good time back to the city gates, grateful that it wasn't so noisy. There was a new set of guards there and Elaine passed under the gate and out onto the road with ease. She started for the forest.

A dull headache had settled behind Elaine's eyes and her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn't eaten since breakfast and that only the dry heel of bread she'd had left. The wheel of the little pull-cart stuck in a rut on the road, yanking Elaine's arm hard and bringing her to a stop. She stood there for a long moment, gathering herself, and then hosted the cart out of the rut and continued on her way. The young woman didn't notice the running footsteps behind her until the dark haired man overtook her.

"Stop, please stop," huffed Merlin. Elaine stopped as asked and looked dully at the sorcerer.

"May I make a request, please?" asked Elaine when Merlin had regained his breath.

"Of course," replied Merlin in surprise.

"A frog."

"Pardon. A what?"

"I'd like to be a frog more than I'd like to be a fly or a flea," Elaine clarified. She dropped the handle of the pull-cart tiredly. "If you are feeling like giving me a choice, that is."

Merlin blinked at her and then a look of faint horror fell over his face. "I'm not going to turn you into anything!" he exclaimed.

"Oh." Elaine glanced over her shoulder but couldn't see any guards rushing to drag her to the dungeon or her bloody execution. Of course, the most powerful sorcerer in Albion wouldn't really need a bunch of guards to do anything to her. Annoyance climbed up Elaine's throat through the fatigue. "Well, then what do you want? I'm already leaving."

"Where are you going to go?" asked Merlin. He looked very concerned, biting his lip lightly.

"What do you care?" Elaine sighed and tried to call up a respectful tone. "Back to the next town. To see if they need an extra hand for something." Although, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. The villagers in her hometown never let her help with the planting and harvest. Tools Elaine touched tended to break or rust and anything she planted didn't grow. During the harvest the food Elaine gathered rotted in storage. Grandmother had been the one to tend to the small vegetable patch besides their tiny house in the forest. Elaine hadn't even been able to help.

"Don't you have any family? A mother and father?" asked Merlin.

"Both dead since I was little," answered Elaine, reaching down to pick up the pull-cart handle again. "My grandmother died last week." Had it already been a week? Elaine felt an ache in her chest start up fiercely.

Merlin frowned. "You could stay here. We'll find you some work."

The sorcerer's words caused a small smile to flutter across Elaine's face but she shook her head. "I can't stay in Camelot now. The whole castle knows about my bad luck. They wouldn't…I mean…I just can't." Elaine tugged the pull-cart over another rut and continued down the road. "This is all very nice of you but it is better if I just go."

"Can you read and write?"

Elaine paused and frowned back at Merlin's serious face, wondering what the question had to do with anything. "Why? Heavens," she muttered and rubbed her forehead. Was there some reason for this conversation or did the sorcerer have a point? It was getting late! "Some," Elaine said to Merlin. "Grandmother taught me all she knew but it wasn't much."

"Work for me then."

The sorcerer's announcement froze Elaine on the road. "You can't be serious," she said faintly. "I'm bad luck. I can't work for you. Imagine what would happen!" The young woman had a vision of magical spells and powerful artifacts clashing with her bad luck and winced.

"I am serious," insisted Merlin. He reached forward and grabbed her hand, ignoring the slimy slick feeling of her skin. "I could use some help keeping track of my books and notes. I'm sure it will be fine." Elaine hesitated, trying to pull her hand from Merlin's grip. "At least stay the night."

The young woman looked up at the sliver of sunlight left in the western sky and dropped her shoulders in defeat. A night in some corner of the stables would be better than a hastily made campsite. "Alright, just for tonight." Merlin smiled and guided Elaine back through the city gates, where the guards bowed to him, and up to the castle.

In the main courtyard Merlin turned and said he would have someone store her things. Elaine tightened her hand around the pull-cart handle. "If it's all the same to you, my lord, I'd like to keep my things with me. I've nearly lost them once and I have no desire to give my bad luck a chance to lose them for good."

"Alright," Merlin replied soothingly to Elaine's stubborn look. "We'll just take the cart with us." Merlin and the young woman approached the main stairway into the castle proper and Elaine prepared to haul the little pull-cart up the steps by herself when the weight tugging on her hand suddenly disappeared. She looked down quickly to find the cart floating about a foot off the ground. Elaine caught the fading glow of gold in Merlin's eyes.

"Thanks," said Elaine softly. Merlin merely nodded and they both walked up the stairs, Elaine gently pulling the floating cart behind her. The sorcerer led Elaine through the castle. She could feel the stares of the people they walked past, mostly from the servants. Disapproval radiated from everyone with Elaine's reappearance in the castle. The young woman resolutely kept her eyes on her feet and followed Merlin.

At the top of some stairs, Elaine felt a sharp sting in the palm of her hand and the cart crashed to the floor with a loud bang. Merlin whirled around and stared at the cart that had just wiggled its way out of his spell. Elaine gave the sorcerer a flat look. She had warned him, after all. The young woman just hoped the thump hadn't broken a wheel. She hadn't the money or resources to repair or replace it. A door opened nearby and King Arthur came into the hall. "What was that?" he demanded.

A woman with dark hair and dusky skin appeared in the doorway behind him. "Oh, this must be the young woman Arthur and Morgana were speaking about." The woman crossed the hallway, the skirt of her gown whispering across the stone, and grabbed Elaine's hand in a comforting grip. "I'm so glad Merlin was able to catch up to you." She glanced down at where they touched and frowned. "I don't feel anything. Her skin is quite dry," she said to the sorcerer.

Elaine bowed as much as the woman's hold on her would allow. There was only one person this woman could be, coming from the King's chambers. "You would not, your majesty," she greeted the queen. "It is my understanding that only magic users feel my bad luck on my skin. Only my Grandmother ever felt the slime before now."

"Elaine will be staying with us from now on," announced Merlin.

"I will stay the night," corrected Elaine. "But I shall still leave in the morning."

"This isn't about that bad luck thing, is it? I still say that is utter nonsense," declared Arthur.

"Nonsense or not, your majesty, everyone in your castle knows about myself and my bad luck now," said Elaine. "I cannot stay."

Guinevere winced and let go of the young woman's hand. "I hate to say it, but she's right. None of the servants will accept having her work among them when they think she has bad luck."

"Which is why she will be working for me," replied Merlin.

"Bad idea," muttered Elaine. She was standing in the middle of the greatest people of her age. They told stories around tavern fires about these people. Elaine just wanted them to go away. All she wanted right now was to be shown to the corner she would be allowed to sleep in and to get some rest. It had been a long day.

"I'm sure it will be fine," said Guinevere soothingly.

"Alright Merlin," said Arthur briskly. "You're responsible for her then."

"Leaving in the morning," repeated Elaine vainly. They ignored her. Merlin finally showed her to a room and Elaine looked around at the plush bed and carved furniture. The young woman opened her mouth in confusion, took one look at Merlin's guileless smile, and just thanked the sorcerer with a sigh. When she was alone, Elaine pulled her little cart over in front of the fireplace and lay down on the rug, forgoing the bed. Even when she'd lived with her grandmother, her bed had been a pile of straw with a blanket thrown over it. She and her grandmother had once shared a bed but bugs had eaten through the legs and it had collapsed when Elaine was seven years old. As far as the young woman was concerned, sleeping in the bed now would only invite more bad luck. She didn't want to give it a chance.

_Notes: Elaine is a name shared with many women in Arthurian legend. In Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur she is the maiden who shows the Holy Grail to Sir Lancelot. She is said to be the mother of Sir Galahad and ends up pining away for love of Sir Lancelot. Other legends have her being the sister of Morgan le Fay and Morgause and half-sister to King Arthur. Elaine is connected with several kings and several Knights of the Rounds table, being mother, wife, daughter, or lover._

_Updates will be done every Sunday if possible. Thank you and don't forget to review!_


	3. The Sorcerer's Tower

**The Sorcerer's Tower**

* * *

><p>Elaine had tried to sneak out of the castle early the next morning but hadn't gotten very far. She'd stepped on the hem of her skirt, rolled one of the wheels of the little pull-cart over her foot, and knocked into a decorative suit of armor. The resulting crash had woken everyone up, including a sleepy King Arthur who complimented her on a feat of clumsiness he'd not seen for many years. It was not the best start to the day.<p>

They fed her and let her wash up with a bowl of warm water. Merlin had a servant come by and pick up her dirty clothing to be washed. Elaine only had two sets of clothes and she sadly watched the dirty pair disappear around the corner with the servant. From the look on the servant's face, Elaine would be lucky if she hid the blouse and skirt in a cupboard nearby. Elaine might have a chance of finding them again. The young woman knew that if they were actually washed that they'd come back to her with holes and tears and she didn't have the materials to repair them. No matter how carefully or gently the clothing may have been cleaned, they would come back damaged. They always did.

Then Merlin had taken her up to the tower. Everybody knew about the Great Sorcerer's tower. (Elaine discovered that the Great Sorcerer hated being called the Great Sorcerer and "please just call me Merlin.") People said the king had gifted the tower to Merlin when his magical experiments proved to be too dangerous to house in the castle proper. Some people muttered that the sorcerer brought back the dead and had a collection of men's souls in small jars in the tower. Elaine did not think that was true but kept a wary lookout for anything that could have been a collection of souls among the clutter.

There was a bit of an argument with the doorway into the tower. The door didn't seem to want to let Elaine in and Merlin had to give the wood a smart talking to before Elaine was able to enter without it trying to shut in her face. "Everybody, this is Elaine. She's going to be helping us from now on," Merlin said to the general air. Elaine wondered who he was talking to when what she thought was a carving of an owl, so still it sat, turn its head around on its neck and blinked huge yellow eyes at her. The young woman had a suspicion that the two chairs by the fireplace were watching her. Then a cup and a pitcher hopped across the table toward her and Elaine had a three second freak out in her head before carefully sitting on a stool before she fainted or something equally embarrassing.

"This is not a good idea," muttered Elaine. A book flipped itself open on the table in front of her. "Do things usually move around by themselves like this?"

"I suppose so," said Merlin with a shrug. "I'm used to it by now." Of course he was. Elaine gripped the stool she was sitting on and hoped it didn't have a mind of its own like everything else in the tower seemed to. The little cup and pitcher stopped in front of Elaine and the pitcher poured some water out into the cup. "Have a drink," Merlin said distractedly, riffling through a cabinet.

Elaine blinked down at the cup. "Thank you," she said to it politely and reached for it. The second the tips of her fingers touched the cup though, it seemed to shiver and then scrambled back away from her. Water splashed across the tabletop as the cup franticly hopped away from her and Elaine snatched up some books and papers before they could be ruined. They burned her palms and Elaine hissed in pain but refused to drop them.

The owl let out a hissing sound and flew off up some stairs. "Archimedes!" yelped Merlin in disapproval. He waved a hand at the table and the puddle of water lifted up and flew out of the window. Elaine quickly put the books and papers she'd rescued back on the table and curled her stinging hands into her skirt to hide them. "What happened?"

Elaine glimpsed the cup and pitcher cowering behind a stack of books. "It was my fault," she said quickly, a left over habit from childhood. In an effort to get the village children to like her, Elaine had always taken the blame for any wrong doing. More often than not, it had been the fault of her and her bad luck when things broke or got lost. Sometimes, it had just been children being mean and horrid. "My bad luck. I spilt the water," Elaine insisted. She felt bad for the little cup. It had tried, at least.

"Well, no harm done," Merlin said with a smile. "Here, let me explain what your duties are going to be."

Elaine's duties seemed to be basic record keeping and light cleaning around the tower. Apparently, the castle staff was wary about coming up to the tower, so the task fell to Elaine. She learned where books and scrolls were kept on different subjects. Books on charms went on the shelf to the right of the fireplace and books on potions went to the shelf on the left. The many little jars and bottles containing herbs, and stones, and other bits for spell craft went into the three large cabinets along the wall with the stairs heading up. Labels should be facing outward; if there were labels that is. Elaine tried to sweep the floor but the broom took exception to her doing that and the young woman eventually gave up on preforming that task herself. Elaine dusted with a rag and tidied the room. Then she copied Merlin's scribbled, messy notes into some sort of order in a blank book.

The tower did not seem to like Elaine very much. It often took her several minutes to get the door to open for her and when it did she had to rush through or else the door would catch her heels. Drawers and cabinet doors often opened as she was passing by, bruising her hips and thumping against her shoulders. Elaine had to fight the cabinet doors when she put things away, pressing back against the door with her side as she placed the wiggling armful of containers on the shelves. She'd already lost count of how many she'd dropped but, thankfully, the jars fixed themselves the moment they broke apart on the floor. The young woman copied Merlin's chaotic notes into a book the sorcerer had given her, trying to be as neat as possible. The stool she'd sat on, the same one she'd sat on that first day, bucked and tossed her off on her third day before bouncing away from her. Elaine had taken to standing at the table while she copied, shifting her weight between one foot and the other. Thankfully, the table had yet to show signs of life or an aversion to Elaine and stayed put.

It took a week before Merlin noticed that she had been wearing the same clothing the whole time, although Elaine had washed them twice and repaired the same tear in the blouse three times. She'd never seen the clothing that had been taken by the servant that first day again, although she had looked for them. Stony silence had met her enquiries to the castle staff. It was Queen Guinevere that had led a mortified Elaine through the city and purchased her practical new skirts and blouses. There were even some new shoes and an apron for Elaine to wear when copying things for Merlin. There was a black ink stain slowly spreading down the right side of Elaine's current skirt no matter how careful she was with the quill. It didn't help that after a few days in the tower the quills started to grow a life of their own and shook in Elaine's hand, trying to escape. The young woman had to find a new quill in other parts of the castle as each one she had been using began to fight her. Elaine thanked Guinevere profusely, feeling both very grateful and shamed.

The books in the tower still burned Elaine's hands when she touched them. She learned to ignore it. It barely hurt anyway. Her grandmother had had a book of recipes and little notes that had burned Elaine's hands too back in the village. It was wrapped in a heavy cloth in the little pull-cart in the room where she was staying. Elaine was sure that the room was really noble quarters but nobody ever told her to move out, although none of the servants went into the room to clean either. Elaine saw to the sweeping and cleaning of her living space herself. She didn't dare sleep in the bed and still slept on the rug in front of the cold fireplace, although she had eventually taken the blanket off the bed when she could no longer stand the chill of the stone floor at night.

Elaine kept to herself. She rose early in the morning to fetch water from the well and to get some food from the kitchen before any of the other servants were even awake. She avoided the other servants and castle residents. They were just as happy to avoid Elaine in return. Breakfast was often day old bread, some dried meat or other dried staples from the storage pantries. If she was quick, most mornings she could get a bowl of the pottage that was always bubbling over the cooking fire but only if she could get there before the head cook woke. Then Elaine went up to the tower to see to her duties the rest of the morning. The young woman often spent those hours alone, since Merlin was busy with kingdom affairs. When the dark haired sorcerer was in the tower, Elaine grew more comfortable around him. Merlin was sweet and enjoyed telling funny stories about King Arthur, then a prince, and his old mentor, Gaius. He had once been the castle physician but had since died of old age. There was always a sad tinge to Merlin's voice when he spoke of Gaius and Elaine knew that the sorcerer missed the man very much.

The whole court gathered for lunch and dinner and Elaine could get lost in the chaos that was meal time. She sat at the very end of the long table during meals and served her own food from the platters. The servants and castle staff stopped glaring at her and mostly just ignored her. Elaine knew that some of them thought her to be Merlin's apprentice. Others thought she was just the poor creature kind Lord Merlin had taken pity on. The second one was probably closer to the truth. Elaine didn't like going into town, too many people, and dreaded being asked to run an errand on Merlin's behalf. She spent her days either in the tower or in her room. She made herself scarce when King Arthur came up to the tower to speak with Merlin, often just after lunch, and spent a great deal of time alone. Elaine had a routine, even if most of it was spent trying to avoid the tower's attacks. It was okay. It could have been worse.

_Notes: A short chapter this week, a little under 2,000 words. Sorry about no post last Sunday. The power went out in my apartment and the spent the evening sitting in the dark. Fun._


End file.
